Bahr scores first goal of season, Jakovich named Defensive Player of the Week
Newswire photo by Desmond Fischer
By Joe Clark | Staff Writer
Xavier women’s soccer posted a 1-0-1 record last week, beating Northern Kentucky 4-0 at the XU Soccer Complex on Thursday night before taking on Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium in the Queen City Derby. The two teams battled for 110 minutes, but neither side could find the back of the net as they settled with a 0-0 draw in double overtime.
Xavier was active offensively in the first half against Northern Kentucky, outshooting the Norse 10-0, but the Musketeers were unable to find the back of the net.
They finally broke through in the 48th minute when redshirt senior forward Samantha Dewey scored off a feed from sophomore forward Grace Brauer.
Xavier didn’t score again until the 80th minute, when senior midfielder Grace Bahr curled a shot just inside the top left corner of the net.
From there the offense came alive with two more goals, including Dewey’s second of the game in the 82nd minute and a goal from freshman Jackie Richards off an assist from sophomore defender Hayley Jakovich in the 84th minute to give Xavier a 4-0 victory.
Xavier’s defense has been a strength all season, and it stood firm again against NKU as the Musketeers only allowed one shot from the Norse the whole game, without a single shot on goal. As a team, Xavier outshot NKU 22-1.
Xavier’s defense shined again on Sunday night against Cincinnati, as it held the Bearcats scoreless and extended its shutout streak to four games in a row.
The Musketeers have played 380 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. Against UC, Xavier once again held an advantage on shots during the first half, but UC outshot the Musketeers in the second half.
Xavier was more active in overtime, leading the shot advantage 3-1, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Jenkins collected a season-high of four saves in the shutout.
Due to Xavier’s defensive play this week, Jakovich was named the Big East Defender of the Week, playing a team-high 84 minutes against NKU on Thursday while playing all 110 minutes against UC.
It’s the second week in a row a Xavier defender has been named Defender of the Week, as Bahr received the honor last week. Dewey was also named to the Big East weekly honor roll for the third time this season.
The Musketeers are back in action on the road against Miami (Ohio) on Friday.